Antorcha Bicentenario México, León Building, Mexican Tower

Antorcha Bicentenario México

Bicentennial Torch León – design by José Pareja + Jesús Hernández, Arquitectos

1 Aug 2011

Antorcha Bicentenario México

León, Guanajuato, México

Design: José Pareja + Jesús Hernández

Bicentennial Torch

Monument to the bicentennial of Mexican independence in the city of León, Guanajuato, México

Project Description

The sculptural and architectural proposal consists in a 45-meter tall element that emphasizes the hierarchy of the main entrance to the city of León, Guanajuato, México.

The inspiration it’s drawn from the mural “Lucha social” (in English: “Social struggle”), by Jose Clemente Orozco, which shows the leader of the independence, Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leading the insurrection by tightly grasping a flaming torch.

The monument consists of a 10-meter tall concrete volume, followed by a 35-meter steel structure made of one hundred rings, interspersed with a hundred voids, which act as optical negatives as a result of the shadow projected onto them.

By nightfall, the sculpture becomes a great urban lamp, which aims to enlighten the surrounding environment through its body and scars.

Its body, marked by 200 scars, reveals on its skin its longevity, giving life at night to a hundred rings of light, representing also the centennial of the revolutionary movement and its importance in the independent living of Mexico today.

The rings are crowned at 45 meters high with a cauldron from which a powerful beam of light is projected to the infinity, a perpetual flame symbolizing the independence and the nation’s future.

The Bicentennial Torch is born as a tribute to the heroes who gave Mexico a homeland, where the fire lights the brave in times of darkness and injustice. It emerges from Mexican soil, illuminating the purest ideals of freedom and sovereignty.

A light path drawn from the bottom to the top of the monument links land and object, leading to the sky the perpetual flame of the Mexican independence, projecting it to the infinite.

Prizes and publications

– The project was awarded first place in the category of “Urban and landscape design” given by the Architects Association of the City of Leon in October 2010. – Publication in the magazine “Arquitectura” distributed in the city of León, Gto. – Publication in the magazine “Casas+Terrenos” distributed in the city of León, Gto. – Publication in the magazine “Limegreen” distributed in the city of León, Gto.

Antorcha Bicentenario México – Building Information

Name of the Project “Antorcha Bicentenario” (“Bicentennial Torch”)
Monument to the bicentennial of Mexican independence in the city of León, Guanajuato, México.
Location: León, Guanajuato, México
Authors: Architects – José Pareja + Jesús Hernández
Project Team: Abdiel Miranda + Isaí Padilla + Eduardo Muñoz + Claudia Pérez

Credits:
Architectonic and lightning design:
Jesús Hernández / José Pareja / Abdiel Miranda / Isaí Padilla / Eduardo Muñoz / Claudia Pérez
Landscape design: José Pareja Gómez / Jesús Hernández Martínez
Executive project:
Project Leaders: Jesús Hernández / José Pareja
Project Team: Abdiel Miranda / Isaí Padilla / Eduardo Muñoz / Claudia Pérez
Structural Project: Lucio Lerma
Construction date: Aug 2010 – Nov 2010
Contact: Architect José de Jesús Hernández Martínez / Architect José Pareja Gómez

Photographs: Daniel Pareja

The city of León, formally León de los Aldama, is the sixth most populous city in Mexico.

Antorcha Bicentenario Méxicoimages / information from José Pareja + Jesús Hernández

Location: León, Guanajuato, México, North America